Collar and the like



Nov. 16, 1937. HE DR Y 2,099,520

COLLAR AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR- BY 67 7% Fff/zd/yay ATTORNEY.

Nov. 16, 1937. HE Y 2,099,520

COLLAR AND THE LIKE I Filed Jan. 25, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet? Q INVENTOR. file/ a E [femryay ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 16, 193? l I s arcane it on.

Among the principal objects which the present invention has in view are: To provide an improved construction in collars or the like; to construct a collar whereby the same may retain its original shape; to utilize the collar construction wherein the appearance of the same will be uniformly the same during wearing; to prevent sagging and buckling and/or collapse of the collar at the shoulder while in use; to provide a collar constructlon at the shoulder portions whereby the collar top will be of substantially the same thickness throughout; to be enabled to launder the collar without changing the appearance thereof; to prevent creases and other unsightly defects; to provide an improved construction adapted for use in collar attached shirts, tab collars and the like; to secure simplicity of construction and operation; and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a collar in open condition showing the inside or back thereof and embodying the present invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation of one end of the collar showing the reverse side or front portion with the plies of the material broken away; a

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on line t3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a similar View and showing the collar folded;

- tion is more particularly adapted for use in soft collars constructed of several plies of material and in what is generally known in the trade as high tab collars, collars attached, and detached collars to match the particular shirt. Heretofore, soft collars of this type after being worn have lost their shape, resultant from the wearer, under usual conditions, applying side pressure by bending of the head from side to side toward the shoulders. This invariably causes the collar at the shoulder sides to sag, thereby creating creases which eventually result in .the collar losing its natural or initial shape. Also, during laundering of collars of this prior art construction, and due' to lack of sufiicient body material, undesired creases throughout the collar will appear. It is to overcome these disadvantages which the present invention is directed more especially, accom-' plishment whereof is, in general, eflected by use .of a stabilizing agent in the collar construction at the parts most affected during use as will hereinafter be more fully described.

As will be readily understood by those skilled in the collar construction art, the drawings show a collar [It having an outside or apron ill and a neckband it, said apron it preferably comprising a plurality of plies of soft and thin material two cover plies being here shown, and termed the front and back portions it and M, respectively. In order that the apron it may have additional durability and withstand usual wear and tear, there is provided a strip of material between the front portion or ply i3 and back portion or ply it. This strip of material may preferably be of a mesh fabric it of slightly heavier construction than that comprising the said front and back plies, and preferably-called the filler. Likewise this filler may be substantially of the same shape and size as the apron. However, the outer edges or hem portions of the filler may be smaller to enable the turning in of one edge of the one ply such as the front portion it to fold over and inwardly of the outer edges, so as not to expose the selvage edges of the material. The back portion M likewise is folded inwardly and is juxtaposed against the folded 'edge of the front portion 63, thus forming the hem edges for the outer edges of the collar apron. A row of stitching it is applied adjacent the outer edges of the collar apron extending from one side or throat portion to the corner point, thence along the outside and thence to the other side of the throat portion. With the apron l l thus completed, the lower portion or the part to be attached to the neckband i2 is left with a selvage edge and'then ready to be made secure to the said neckband.

The neclrband 02 in construction preferably is r the same as the collar apron ii, that is to say, it comprises an outer portion or ply it against which in actual use when folded as in Figure 4,. the inner portion or ply it of the apron M will rest, and the inner portion or ply ll of the neckband will be next to a persons neck while being worn. Said neclrband likewise and preferably is provided with a filler such as a strip of mesh fabric it of substantially the same shape and size as the inner and outer portions or plies of said neckband, but allowing for bending and folding of the inner and outer portions or plies so as not to expose the selvage edges of the material, as heretofore described with respect to the apron. However, in this instance it is preferable that the filler I!) be juxtaposed against the inner portion or ply H, the purpose of which will be more fully described.

As more particularly shown in Figures 1 to 6 there is shown a stabilizing agent suitably spaced and arranged in the neckband l2. It has been discovered that by utilization of this stabilizing agent certain defects are effectively overcome which are usuallyencountered in wearing collars of this type, especially at those places where the collar receives most pressure during service. The parts of the collar receiving most severe distorting pressure are usually at the sides thereof, that is to say, the area above the edges which in use rest upon the shoulders of the wearer. To overcome the objectionable distortion and wrinkling of the collar and in order to retain preferred neatness to the collar, the stabilizing agent is made secure to and thereafter a fixed part of the neckband before assembling the apron ll thereto. As will be readily seen the stabilizing agent 20 may be of a suitable material such as a heavy woven fabric, fused material or a composition of any suitable stiffening material so long as it withstands the usual distorting pressure exerted during wearing service, and to prevent usual laundering creases.

In carrying out the invention and for purposes of clarity, the stabilizing agent will hereinafter be referred to as the reinforcing piece 20. It is shaped in any suitable manner, such as square, rectangular, oblong, triangular or any other form to meet the required purpose. As shown, the reinforcing piece 20 is rectangular in shape and to give additional strength against downward pressure each side is cut inwardly near its longitudinal top and bottom and the material between the cuts folded inwardly on a crease transverse to the cuts and meeting the inner ends thereof, thereby giving the appearance of a broad H- shaped reinforcing piece, as clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6, and thereby providing turned margins normal to the opposed longitudinal edges of the collar.

The reinforcing piece 20 after having been suitably shaped as to size is then ready to be made part of the neckband. In this connection it will be noted that the top edge of said reinforcing piece is in alinement with the upper selvage edges of the portions or plies l1, I8 and filler l9 and only the portion or ply H at the top and bottom respectively is folded to enclose the upper and lower edges of the piece 20 so that the edges will not be exposed. Further, after the reinforcing pieces are positioned to be at the shoulder sides, the material comprising the portion or ply I1 is arcuately cut out, as at 2|, thereby exposing the reinforcing piece to view. The arcuately cut out portion is bent inwardly, as at 22, as shown in Figure 3 which adds to the rigidity of that part of the collar. With the reinforcing pieces properly placed, the apron and neckband then are ready to be assembled.

In assembling the aforementioned parts, it

' will be observed that the upper selvage edge of then made secure, as by a row of sti ching 23, adjacent the outer edges of the neckband. Other stitchings are provided at the parts of the neckband where the reinforcing pieces are to be made secure, and for this purpose vertical stitches 24 extend upwardly from the bottom of the neckband passing through the folded inside pirtions of the reinforcing piece and to the top thereof. A second row of stitching 25 is then applied to the turned in edge of the arcuate cut out portion 2| thereby making fast the reinforcing strip to the portion or ply l1 and filler 19.

It will be noted from the-above description that there is no overlapping of materials at the cutout portion 2| and that the upper edge of the reinforcing piece 2| is in alinement with the upper edges of the portions or plies I1, l8 and filler I 9, thereby eliminating bulkiness at the setting or folding line of the collar when in use.

The construction of Figures 7 and 8 is similar to that shown in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, and provides an apron l I having outer portion or ply I3, inner portion or ply H with mesh fabric or filler strip I5 therebetween. The neckband l2 likewise provides an inner portion or ply 11 and outer portion or ply l8 with the mesh fabric or filled l9 juxtaposed to the portion or ply H. The assembling of the apron and neckband as heretofore may conveniently be the same. However, after the reinforcing pieces 20 have been properly placed in the neckband it is preferred in the construction of Figs. 7 and 8, that the pieces 20 be not exposed as heretofore shown and described, and in that connection the portion or ply l8 preferably overlaps the upper edge of the reinforcing pieces 20 as shown in Figure 8. Since the portions or plies l7, I8 are relatively thin, (the several sectional views of the drawings are necessarily shown more or less exaggerated) bulkiness at the setting or folding line will be greatly minimized.

While I have morefully described the invention as applicable to the shoulder sides of the collar, I do not necessarily confine the construction to that purpose, as the reinforcing pieces may easily be made of various sizes and to extend over larger areas of the collar or differently situated, if so desired, and I do not wish to be limited as to the specific construction set forth except as recited in the appended claims when construed in the light of the prior art.

I claim:

1. An improvement in collars and the like com-- 'prising an article of manufacture having a ply of material of which one edge is folded to form a hem, the combination of a stiffener substantially the width of the hemmed ply so as to extend from edge to edge thereof with a part juxtaposed to said hem, said stiffener being slit inwardly at an end thereof and at a distance from the edge next the fold of the hem substantially the depth of the hem, a portion of the stiffener beyond the part thereof juxtaposed with respect to the hem being doubled on a fold line normal to the slit and hem so as to avoid an increase of thickness of the hem by the doubled portion of the stiffener.

2. An improvement in collars and the like comprising an article of manufacture having a ply of material of which two opposite edges are folded to form hems, the combination of a stiffener substantially the width of the hemmed ply so as to extend from edge to edge thereof with twoopposite margins juxtaposed to said hems, said stiffener being slit inwardly next the inner edge of each hem with the portion of the stiffener between said slits and hems being doubled on a fold line normal to the slits and hems so as to avoid increase of thickness of the hem by the doubled portion of the stiffener.

3. An improvement in collars and the like comprising an article of manufacture having a my of material of whichone edge is folded to form a hem, the combination of a stiffener for a portion of said ply, said stiffener being cut at its sides adjacent to the top and bottom thereof, the portion of the sides between the cuts being folded inwardly said bottom portion of said stiffener extending to and within the doubled edge of the hem, and the folded sides of the stiffener extending and terminating substantially at the inner.

edge of said hem thereby avoiding an increase of thickness of the hem by the folded sides of the stiffener.

4. An improvement in collars and the like comprising an article of manufacture having a ply of material of which two opposite edges are folded to provide a hem, the combination of a stiffener material in a portion of said ply, said stiffener material being cut and folded inwardly at its sides adjacent the top and bottom thereof, said top and bottom portions of said stiffener extending to and within the doubled edges of the hems, 

